Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hitch assembly having a retractable hitch ball for use in the bed of a truck for towing a gooseneck trailer. In particular, the present invention relates to a hitch assembly which is mounted underneath the bed of a truck and which has a container within which the hitch ball is retracted when not in use.
(2) Description of the Related Art
The related art has shown various hitch assemblies for mounting adjacent an underneath surface of the bed of a truck which have a hitch ball which extends through an opening in the bed of the truck when in use and which can be retracted from the bed of the truck when not needed. Illustrative are U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,324 to Hamilton; U.S. Pat. No. 4,540,194 to Dane; U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,966 to Giboney et al and U.S. Pat. No. 4,657,274 to Mann et al.
Hamilton and Dane describe hitch assemblies having hitch balls that pivot into a retracted position into an opening in the bed of the truck. When the hitch ball is not in use, the side of the hitch ball and a pivotable plate cover the opening in the bed of the truck when the hitch ball is retracted.
Giboney et al describes a retractable trailer hitch ball which is mounted beneath the bed of a vehicle. The hitch ball is extendable through an opening in the bed of the vehicle by operation of a hydraulic cylinder. The hitch ball is mounted on a pivotable plate which has a spring which moves the plate and the hitch ball away from the bed of the truck when the hitch ball is not needed and the hydraulic cylinder is retracted.
Mann et al describes a retractable king pin assembly for mounting in the bed of a vehicle. The king pin has a vertical rack and is elevated and retracted by means of a spur gear engaging the teeth of the rack. Mann et al also has a bolt which extends through a bore in the housing and a hole in the king pin to lock the king pin in the extended position. The bolt has a spring which urges the bolt into the locked position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,994 to Taylor; U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,138 to Allen; U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,393 to Meyer; U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,244 to Colibert; U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,172 to Jaun; U.S. Pat. No. 5,472,222 to Marcy and U.S. Pat. No. 5,577,751 to Matthews show hitch assemblies for mounting underneath the bed of a truck where the hitch ball or other receiver is removable from the hitch assemblies when not in use.
In addition, Matthews and Marcy show a locking means for holding the hitch ball in place. In Marcy, a locking pin extends into a vertical groove in the hitch ball to lock the hitch ball in the extended position. In Matthews, a locking rod extends through the receiving means and through the hitch ball to removably couple the hitch ball to the receiving means.
Also of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 5,016,898 to Works et al which describes a hitch assembly where the hitch ball is removed from the sleeve member and reinserted upside down in the retention sleeve member for storage. The sleeve member and base portion of the hitch ball include a pair of side openings therethrough to allow for a locking pin assembly to extend through the hitch ball to lock the hitch ball in the retention sleeve member in the extended position and above the bottom of the hitch ball to lock the hitch ball in the storage position.
There remains the need for a hitch assembly for a bed of a truck where the hitch ball is stored in a container beneath the bed of the truck when not in use, and where the hitch ball automatically moves into a semi-retracted position to allow for a single user to quickly and easily move the hitch ball to the extended position prior to use.
The hitch assembly of the present invention is intended to be mounted beneath the bed of a truck such that in the fully extended position, the hitch ball extends through an opening in the bed of the truck. The hitch ball allows the truck to be used to tow a vehicle having a gooseneck with a hitch ball coupling which mounts on the hitch ball. The hitch assembly includes a container which mounts adjacent the underneath surface of the bed of the truck adjacent the opening in the bed of the truck. A compression spring is located in the container between the closed, second end of the container and the second end of the hitch ball. The compression spring moves the hitch ball from the fully retracted position to the semi-retracted position. The hitch assembly also includes a locking mechanism which locks the hitch ball in the fully extended position during use and in the fully retracted position during non-use or storage. The force of the compression spring is such that when the locking mechanism is unlocked while the hitch ball is fully extended, the weight of the hitch ball compresses the compression spring and moves the hitch ball into the semi-retracted position. In the semi-retracted position, the hitch ball extends above the bed of the truck, enabling the user to grasp the hitch ball and pull the hitch ball into the fully extended position or push down on the hitch ball to move the hitch ball into the fully retracted position. The locking rod of the locking mechanism is provided with a compression spring which automatically moves the locking rod to the locked position when the user pulls or pushes the hitch ball into the fully retracted or fully extended position. The ability to easily retract the hitch ball into the container of the hitch assembly eliminates the need to remove the hitch assembly or the hitch ball when the hitch ball is no longer needed. Consequently, the present invention allows a truck to be easily and quickly converted from a standard truck to a towing vehicle for a gooseneck trailer. The use of the automatic locking mechanism and the compression spring adjacent the hitch ball allows the truck to be easily and quickly converted to a gooseneck towing vehicle by a single use.
The present invention relates to a trailer hitch assembly for a bed of a truck adjacent an opening in the bed of the truck, which comprises: a container having a first end and a closed, second end with a sidewall extending therebetween forming an inner chamber, the sidewall having an opening extending into the inner chamber wherein the container is mounted adjacent an underneath surface of the bed of the truck such that the first end of the container is adjacent the opening in the bed of the truck; a hitch ball mounted in the inner chamber of the container having a first ball end and a second end; a biasing means mounted in the inner chamber of the container between the closed, second end of the container and the second end of the hitch ball for biasing the hitch ball toward the open first end of the container; and a locking rod having a first end and a second end and mounted adjacent the container such that in a locked position, the first end of the locking rod extends through the opening in the sidewall of the container and into contact with the hitch ball and wherein the locking rod is capable of locking the hitch ball in an extended position or a retracted position.
Further, the present invention relates to a trailer hitch assembly for mounting on an underneath surface of a bed of a truck adjacent an opening in the bed of the truck, which comprises: a mounting plate for mounting adjacent the underneath surface of the bed of the truck, the plate having an opening wherein when the mounting plate is mounted adjacent the underneath surface of the bed, the opening of the mounting plate is adjacent the opening in the bed of the truck; a container mounted in the opening of the mounting plate and having a first end and a closed, second end with a sidewall extending therebetween forming an inner chamber, the sidewall having an opening extending into the inner chamber wherein the container is mounted such that the first end of the container is adjacent the opening in the bed of the truck; a hitch ball mounted in the inner chamber of the container having a first ball end and a second end; a biasing means mounted in the inner chamber of the container between the closed, second end of the container and the second end of the hitch ball for biasing the hitch ball toward the open first end of the container; and a locking rod having a first end and a second end and mounted adjacent the container such that in a locked position, the first end of the locking rod extends through the opening in the sidewall of the container and into contact with the hitch ball and wherein the locking rod is capable of locking the hitch ball in an extended position or a retracted position.
Still further, the present invention relates to a method for providing a retractable hitch ball in a bed of a truck, which comprises: mounting a hitch ball assembly to an underneath side of the bed of the truck adjacent an opening in the bed of the truck, the hitch ball assembly including: a container having a first end and a closed second end with a sidewall extending therebetween forming an inner chamber, the sidewall having an opening extending into the inner chamber wherein the container is mounted adjacent the underneath surface of the bed of the truck such that the first end of the container is adjacent the opening in the bed of the truck; a hitch ball mounted in the inner chamber of the container having a first ball end and a second end; a biasing means mounted in the inner chamber of the container between the closed, second end of the container and the second end of the hitch ball for biasing the hitch ball toward the open first end of the container; and a locking rod having a first end and a second end and mounted adjacent the container such that in a locked position, the first end of the locking rod extends through the opening in the sidewall of the container and into contact with the hitch ball and wherein the locking rod is capable of locking the hitch ball in an extended position or a retracted position; positioning the hitch ball in a locked, retracted position such that the first end of the hitch ball does not extend beyond the first end of the container in a direction opposite the second end of the container and the locking rod is in the locked position such that the first end of the locking rod is in contact with the hitch ball; moving the locking rod into the unlocked position by applying a force to the second end of the locking rod in a direction opposite the first end of the locking rod wherein when the locking rod moves out of contact with the hitch ball, the biasing means moves the hitch ball into a semi-extended position; releasing the locking rod; and applying a force to the hitch ball in a direction away from the second end of the container such that the hitch ball moves into the fully extended position wherein as the hitch ball moves into the fully extended position, the first end of the locking rod moves into a locked position to lock the hitch ball in the fully extended position.
The substance and advantages of the present invention will become increasingly apparent by reference to the following drawings and the description.